After finishing his lunch outside and returning to his room, Raine secluded himself in his atelier, working on a personal project.

Well, "research" as he called it, was really just him trying to design fishing tools for Helen.

"Should I make a fishing rod or a net?" Raine pondered.

Obviously, a net would catch more fish. But Helen didn’t eat that much.

"A net might not be a good idea," he thought aloud. "The local fishermen might get angry."

He wasn’t sure if there were specific fishing rights in the area, but there were likely territories.

"So, a fishing rod it is... maybe I should improve the bait."

"Uh, why don’t you just enjoy fishing for what it is?" Helen suggested.

"What’s fun about fishing?" Raine responded. "It’s just a way to catch fish. Besides, we could just buy them."

He had enough money to buy fish, after all.

"Hmm? Then why don’t you just buy them?"

"I wanted you to taste something freshly caught. Fresh fish is delicious," Raine replied.

Though this world didn’t have sashimi, Raine, having been born in Japan, knew how good raw fish could be.

"Master Raine... But you know, relaxing by the sea while fishing sounds quite nice. I do love the ocean," Helen said with a soft smile.

"You love the fish more than the sea, I bet," Raine muttered.

"Alright, I'll just stick to making a simple fishing rod."

"Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy one? I’m sure they’re sold in the market," Helen suggested again.

"Well, I’m an alchemist, so I should be making my own tools," Raine replied, determined.

"If you say so... Good luck!" Helen said, rubbing against Raine’s hand, clearly excited about the prospect of fresh fish.

"Alright then, I’ll make a fishing rod so strong, it could reel in a shark or even a whale!" Raine declared.

"Please don’t, I’m afraid you might actually catch one," Helen replied with a mix of amusement and concern.

Despite Helen’s words, Raine continued working on crafting a rod that wouldn’t break, even under the weight of a large catch. By the time evening came, the rod was nearly complete when the doorbell rang.

"Hmm?"

"Isn’t it probably Erica?" Helen suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Raine replied, standing up with Helen in his arms and heading toward the entrance.

Expecting Erica, Raine opened the door, only to find Leonora standing there, smiling without her usual pointed hat.

"Hey."

"Hey. What brings you here?" Raine asked.

"Erica said dinner’s almost ready and asked me to come get you," Leonora explained.

Oh, so Erica had taken the time to call them over. Raine thought to himself, impressed that Erica was cooking even on her days off.

"Are you joining us for dinner, Leonora?" Raine asked.

"Yeah, I’m staying for dinner—and for breakfast and lunch too," Leonora added with a grin.

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So, she’s been here for all her meals, Raine thought as they entered Erica’s house across the street. Inside, Erica was busy in the kitchen, preparing their meal.

"Erica, thank you," Raine said as he and Helen took their seats at the table with Leonora.

"No problem! Since Leonora came back today, I decided to make paella," Erica replied cheerfully.

Paella, huh? Raine thought.

"Erica is really good at cooking," Leonora chimed in proudly.

"I know. Do you cook, Leonora?" Raine asked.

"Nope. I mean, I’m technically a noble, so I wasn’t even allowed in the kitchen. After I left home and came here, I thought about trying, but I didn’t know where to start. So, I asked Erica, and she offered to teach me. But by the time I realized, she’d already finished cooking. And ever since then, she just keeps making meals," Leonora explained with a sheepish smile.

Raine could easily imagine the scene.

"You’re spoiled, huh?" Raine teased.

"She takes care of everything. If I were a man, I’d marry her," Leonora said, half-joking.

Raine couldn’t help but agree—Erica would make a great wife.

"Alright, it’s ready!" Erica announced as she brought a large dish of yellow rice filled with seafood to the table.

"Wow, it looks delicious!" Leonora exclaimed.

"It smells wonderful!" Helen added enthusiastically.

"It really does," Raine agreed as they all began eating Erica’s homemade paella. It was, simply put, delicious.

"I missed Erica’s cooking... It really feels like I’m home now," Leonora said, savoring the meal.

"It’s only been two weeks," Raine remarked. "So, how was it?"

"Not bad. I learned a lot," Leonora replied casually.

"Learned?" Raine raised an eyebrow.

"What was your trip for, anyway?" Raine asked, curious.

"It was a hands-on training program. A sort of workshop organized by the guild," Leonora explained.

Oh, that thing. Raine had never bothered attending those tedious workshops.

"Well, I’m glad it was useful," Raine replied, showing a rare moment of empathy.

"By the way, Raine, you’re the same age as me, right?" Leonora asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, I’m 22 as well," Raine confirmed.

"Do you know someone named Adele?" Leonora asked suddenly.

Adele... There was only one Adele Raine knew.

"She was a classmate. Adele von Yordle."

Raine would never forget that name.

"Ah, that’s her. So, you were classmates?" Leonora seemed intrigued.

Yes, classmates... Raine thought to himself, his mind drifting back to memories of Adele.

"Wait, Leonora, do you know Adele?" Helen asked, surprised. "She’s Raine’s friend."

"Is that so? What a coincidence! She’s my friend too," Leonora replied with a smile.

Is that right...? Raine thought.

"How do you know her? Is it through nobility?" Raine asked.

"Yeah, our families were close. We lived in different towns, but we used to play together a lot when we were kids. She even visited this town last year," Leonora explained.

Oh, right. Raine suddenly remembered that Adele had mentioned visiting a friend in this town when she gave him that hotel voucher. That friend must have been Leonora.

"It’s a small world," Raine mused.

"It really is... But I’ve got to ask, Raine—what kind of relationship do you have with Adele? I’ve never heard of her having male friends. She’s pretty shy," Leonora said, her curiosity piqued.

Shy? That didn’t match Raine’s impression of Adele at all. She was always direct and outspoken—at least, from what little he remembered of her.

"Is she really that shy?" Raine asked, surprised. "She seemed pretty straightforward to me, though we didn’t talk much."

"I’ve been curious about that too. You two exchange letters, right?" Helen asked.

"Letters? Is that what you call it?" Raine mumbled, thinking back to the correspondence.

"Like I said, she was a classmate. We were in the same class for three years, worked on the same projects, and ended up employed at the same alchemy guild headquarters. So, we spent about six or seven years in the same place," Raine explained.

Suddenly, a pang of guilt hit Raine.

"That’s a long time. You must have been close," Leonora said.

"Wait, didn’t you tell me recently that you were just starting to get to know Adele? Something about a meeting about how to respond to her letters?" Helen asked, confused.

"What’s that about?" Leonora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh... let me explain," Raine said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "You see, for most of those six or seven years, I didn’t even realize Adele was my classmate. I only figured it out when she reintroduced herself after I got demoted and boarded the airship. She was the receptionist I’d seen every day without realizing she was someone I’d known for years."

"...Poor Adele," Leonora said with a sigh.

"How are you even managing to write letters with her?" Helen asked, somewhat baffled.

"Good question," Raine replied with a wry smile. "I thought I’d send her a quick apology and thank her for the hotel voucher, and that would be the end of it. But she wrote back. What do you make of that? I wasn’t expecting a reply, let alone one where she asked about my situation."

"Hmm..."

"Could this be... romance?" Helen wondered aloud.

Romance?

"Do you think so?" Raine asked, doubtful.

"No," Leonora responded bluntly.

"Well..." Helen hesitated.

Raine began to feel uneasy.

"It’s not some kind of revenge, is it?" he asked, half-joking.

"Did you do something to Adele?" Leonora asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Not that I know of... I mean, I didn’t even recognize her," Raine admitted, scratching his head.

"Then I doubt it’s revenge. Adele isn’t that kind of person," Leonora reassured him.

"Raine, did you send her a letter?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, I sent it yesterday," Raine replied.

"Well

if she writes back, we’ll know it’s not revenge," Helen said with a small laugh.